An airhostess by profession, newly married Devika Dubey (27) was at the peak of her professional and personal life when, around two years ago, constant stomach pains started hampering her routine.

An ultrasound revealed she had uterine fibroids. Then 25 years old, Devika and her husband visited several gynaecologists. While two of them suggested a surgery, a third consultant said she would need to have her uterus removed.

Devika, interestingly, was not alone in this dilemma. As per a study conducted in 2002 by the London School of Economics on women employed by SEWA, of 30 per cent women facing difficult menstruation cycle, 33 per cent had fibroids.

The study revealed that effects of fibroid formation are seen in both rural and urban women, especially during the reproductive years from 20s to 50s. But what are fibroids? Noncancerous (benign) tumours, fibroids grow from muscle layers of the uterus.

According to experts, uterine fibroids are not dangerous and often shrink with menopause. However, in some cases, they are painful, causing severe menstrual bleeding or pregnancy issues. And these growths can be removed through surgery or removal of entire uterus.

In fact, the study states about 33 per cent women from rural areas and 30 per cent from urban areas had to get their uterus removed in order to treat fibroid, rendering them unable to conceive. But medical science has now developed a new method to treat the growths sans surgery.

As Devika shared, “I was too young for a surgery. And imagine being told that I would have to remove my uterus. In fact, a gyno almost admitted me to the hospital for surgery but I was running high fever so could not undergo surgery. During this harrowing time, my family physician suggested a new treatment method — Uterine Fibroid Embolisation (UFE), a nonsurgical, painless treatment. I was able to walk after a few hours of the 15-minute procedure and was home the next day.”

The 27-year-old is now the mother of a two-month-old boy. Elaborating on the path breaking treatment, Dr Sandip Jhala, Consultant Interventional Radiology Specialist at Apollo Hospitals said, “Dr Jacques Ravina of France first mentioned UFE in a paper presented in 1994 in France.

The study mentioned the treatment that had been conducted on 400 women of reproductive age — the success rate back then was 98.5 per cent. Today, it’s almost 99.9 per cent. Uterine Artery Embolisation (UAE) is a procedure where an interventional radiologist uses a catheter to deliver small particles that block the blood supply to the uterine body.

Particles of alcohols are injected with the help of catheter to shrink the fibroid. The process can take from six weeks to six months to reduce the size of the fibroid. The treatment takes all of 20 minutes and the patient is on her feet in six hours. It has been observed that fibroids treated by UFE techniques do not regroup,” Jhala added.

With more than 400 treatments to his credit, Jhala has treated several women in the city too. “Post treatment, the chances of pregnancy increases by 33 to 55 per cent,” he said. The radiologist cited Devika’s case as an example. “While several women are genetically prone to this kind of growth, excessive use of contraceptive pills, high level of estrogens and excessive hormonal secretion can cause the growth,” he said.

Confirming the benefits of this non-surgical treatment, infertility expert Dr Chaitanya Nagori said, “UFE is definitely a good method. However, the two biggest drawbacks are the lack of trained experts to perform this treatment and the cost. In fact, this treatment costs between Rs 80,000 to Rs 90,000 which makes it more expensive than advanced surgery that costs between Rs 10,000 to Rs 40,000.” The expert, however, warns patients undergoing infertility treatment about undergoing Uterine Fibroid Embolisation since it could affect the same.

ABOUT UFE

Uterine Fibroid Embolisation (UFE) is a procedure where an interventional radiologist uses a catheter to deliver small particles that block the blood supply to the uterine body. The procedure is done for the treatment of uterine fibroids and adenomyosis

PROCEDURE

» Performed while the patient is conscious, but sedated and feeling no pain » Done only by interventional radiologist » Radiologist makes a nick in the skin in the groin and inserts a catheter into the femoral artery » Guides catheter through the artery, then releases tiny particles into the uterine arteries that supply blood to the fibroid tumour » These particles block blood flow to tumour, causing it to shrink and die

ADVANTAGES

» Normal, painless menstruation cycles post treatment » Procedure takes a maximum of 20 minutes » Patient is on her feet after six hours » Discharge after a day's rest » Almost 33 per cent to 53 per cent increase in chances of pregnancy » Fibroids shrink by almost 60 per cent to 80 per cent » No chance of recurrence of fibroid » Once-in-a-lifetime treatment

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